...continued
Paul directs my attention to a shuttered retail facility occupying a decent slab of vitally needed station space. It’s a late-night kebab shop and may well be bringing in rental income for somebody, says the frustrated Station Manager, but it’s stifling significant ticket revenue and provides ammunition for much grumbling about insufficient ticket windows. Right on cue, a passenger in a pinstripe suit seeks Paul out in order to complain about his difficulty in buying a ticket. “Do South West Trains expect me to travel down here on a Sunday to buy a ticket for the next morning? Is that really the only way I can avoid the queues?” he asks. The ticket machines, explains Paul to the steely-eyed passenger, are past their sell-by date, user-unfriendly, and slow. However, new, improved replacements are on order—although design or software faults are delaying their introduction. This explanation is courteously delivered, but the well-spoken passenger is unimpressed—he has a train to catch.
In common with many other South West Trains stations, Putney was designed and built the century before last, and its problems are all too apparent across the network. The concourse is obviously cramped and Paul would dearly like to remove two large pillars that restrict freedom of movement and obstruct the platform departure boards. He has also been in discussion about the need for disabled and step-free access at the station. But such infrastructure work would involve Network Rail—and considerable investment capital. He remains hopeful about steady improvements, however. Just as well, as another passenger enquires why there are no toilets and yet another complains that the coffee shop is clearly on the wrong platform for the vast majority of passengers. Paul admits that the new timetable now routes most London Waterloo-bound trains into Platform 1, which has no catering facilities. Initial plans to correct this have encountered power-supply problems. It’s a good job he’s optimistic—and diplomatic. He points out that Putney isn’t a one-way peak station. Trains from Waterloo offload many passengers with jobs nearby, who rush up the stairs as the majority head down. It’s certainly not for the faint-hearted or those unfamiliar with the layout.
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